Shadows of Truth
by Lucathia Rykatu
Summary: Bakuman, 10 years later. A look at one of Takagi and Mashiro's possible futures from Takagi's side. His is not as sweet as Mashiro's. Does not take into account canon after chapter 25.


**Shadows of Truth**

by Lucathia

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bakuman and make no profit from writing this.

**Notes:** This takes into consideration canon up to chapter 25 only. This is a look at one of their possible futures from Takagi's side. If chapter 31 had been out then, I'd have included another female character too.

* * *

"Takagi?"

He glanced around, surprised at hearing his name amidst the loud, clamoring noises of the subway. He couldn't place the woman who stood in front of him immediately, but her straight back and sharp eyes brought him back to middle school.

"Iwase...?" he ventured, the name coming suddenly to his tongue.

"So it is you," she said. Her hair was long now and fell past her shoulders. Her face was more angular and her mouth sterner, but she still carried herself the same way. The last time he had truly interacted with her had been at his house over her ridiculous misunderstanding about going out. He'd chosen Kaya over her because Iwase had thought that becoming a mangaka was foolish. That had ended their nonexistent relationship rather dramatically. During middle school graduation, he saw her lift her nose at him disdainfully. He never saw her again after that.

In the present, Iwase sat down next to him without invitation and crossed her legs primly. Her bag thudded against the ground, the corner of a book peeking out from the zipper. Iwase didn't look like she was going to budge any time soon.

"Why didn't you go to college?" she asked immediately.

Iwase was as blunt as ever and quick to lay down her cards. She must have been keeping tabs on him, or maybe she had heard from a mutual acquaintance. Gossip tended to travel fast. He'd heard that Iwase had gone off to law school, or was it med school? He hadn't asked for clarification.

"I didn't have time for college," he replied. He had no need to, not when he had already decided on his path. He'd thrown away his backup plan because having a backup meant leaving room for failure and indecision.

He expected her to grimace or close her eyes at his declaration. Instead, she sat back and breathed out slowly.

"How has being published treated you?"

He raised his eyebrows at that. "Oh, so you know I'm published?"

She sniffed at him. "I would hope you'd be published by now if you're still pursuing being a mangaka. It's only been ten years."

"Huh, so you didn't think I gave up halfway then?"

He wondered if her cheeks had looked pink from the start. She had even known that ten years had passed since he had started down this thorny path with Saiko. He watched her fiddle with her thumbs. His eyes trailed past her hands to the corner of the book that stuck out of her bag. The plastic covering looked very familiar with its shiny red coat and the character "to" that adorned the edge of the spine.

"I..." she started before noticing where his gaze was. She quickly tried to stuff the "book" back into her bag, but it was too late.

Takagi grinned.

Iwase sighed.

"All right, you caught me. Let me tell you that I only bought this because I happen to like mysteries!"

He chuckled, his chuckles turning into full blown laughter when she "hmphed" and turned away from him, refusing to talk to him further.

Iwase had always been a boring person to him, a person who didn't know how to chase after dreams. She still was that way, but her dose of reality didn't feel so bad now. She had mellowed, or perhaps he was the one who had changed.

Inside, he was quite gleeful that he'd reach people like Iwase with his storytelling. That had to mean he was doing something right.

After his laughter died down, she asked him where he was headed.

He answered that he was meeting a few seiyuu for the drama CD of Ashirogi Muto's new series.

She congratulated him, her words almost drowned out by the subway announcements.

When they parted, he wondered if it'd be another ten years before they ran into each other again. He hadn't even asked her what she was up to now.

* * *

Takagi met both Azuki and Saiko at the studio. They were holding hands when he walked up to them, as if they had just started going out and weren't already married. Of course, in their defense, they were actually pretty new at this relationship thing. They had only gotten to know each other better after getting married.

He sneaked up on them and enveloped them in a large hug, eliciting a grunt from Saiko and a giggle from Azuki.

"So have we started yet?" asked Takagi with a grin.

Azuki's face dimpled when she smiled. "Not yet. You're just in time."

She chattered along the way as they headed to the other room together. He hadn't known she was this talkative. She'd have given Kaya a run for her money, except Azuki chattered about her job and what she had in mind for her character and how excited she was to be working together with them again. It was quite meaningful chatter. Saiko was hanging onto her every word.

As the other seiyuu came and introduced themselves, Takagi settled down with Saiko to watch the recording. Takagi had helped with the script. His job was mostly done. He marveled at Azuki's expressions as she read her lines. It was just like acting with how her entire being transformed. Next to Takagi, Saiko was supposed to be sketching ideas for the cover and the inserts, but instead he was busy sketching Azuki in all her glory.

After all these years, Saiko's drawings of Azuki still amazed him. Takagi often wondered how he had come to be where he was now. Was it because he had chosen Kaya over Iwase, or was it because he'd thrown away his backup plans and decided to dedicate his entire life to manga? He supposed if he really wanted to trace his beginnings, he'd have to go back to Saiko's doodlings of Azuki during class. If it weren't for those drawings that made him want to gamble, he wouldn't be here right now, watching a recording of a drama CD for _their_ manga.

Saiko and Azuki's relationship was really quite something. He rested his chin on the back of his folded hands as he watched Saiko sketch, the soft lines coming alive beneath Saiko's pencil. He'd never have anything quite so romantic as what Saiko and Azuki had. He supposed he realized that truth when Kaya had first broken up with him. What were the odds of getting married to your high school sweetheart? Pretty low, not to mention middle school sweetheart. Everyone at that age thought that their first girlfriend or boyfriend was their soul mate, their lifetime partners, but that was very rarely the case. It was something that only happened in manga...or in Saiko's life.

Kaya had tried hard to have a dream like his and Saiko's, but her cellphone novel idea hadn't been well thought out. Takagi had ended up being the one writing the bulk of the story. He had Kaya to thank for the popularity he had outside of manga, but he really didn't care about cellphone novels or even light novels. His stories were meant for manga.

They had a fluctuating relationship. One day, they'd be together, as loving as any other couple. The next, they weren't because of a stupid fight over what movie was better. Half a year later, they'd be together again and making snide remarks at each other.

In the middle of the recording, Takagi's cell phone started vibrating. He slid his phone open and snorted at the message. He had just been thinking about her.

_im back! didja miss me?_

Kaya sounded like she was back in the country. Her martial arts demonstration had taken longer than expected. They'd probably get together again if she hadn't gotten herself another guy while overseas, but he doubted their relationship would last long this time either. They were never meant for marriage.

"Lost in thought?" asked Saiko as he stood up.

Takagi blinked. The recording was already over.

"You could say that," he said finally with a rueful smile.

As he watched Saiko follow Azuki out with starry eyes, Takagi almost wanted to pull Saiko back and ask him if they'll always have manga between them. Manga was his constant despite the lows and highs that came with creating manga. Manga will always be his constant.

Hand in hand, Saiko walked off with Azuki into the elongated shadows of the evening, leaving Takagi alone in his thoughts.

* * *

the end


End file.
